Serving up a new lease of life for SS Nomadic …105 years later

105 years after SS Nomadic left Belfast, the vessel has been served up a new lease of life with £80,000 investment for catering facilities on board. The heritage venue, which is famous as a tender for Titanic, and a quarter of her size in every dimension, is available for exclusive hire and can now fully cater range of private and corporate events, from drinks receptions to fine dining for up to 200 people.

The £80,000 investment for catering facilities on board was supported by Titanic Foundation Limited and Tourism NI. This enables the venue to offer extensive hospitality options to clients for a range of events, alongside its primary role as a visitor attraction. Local renowned catering partners, Posh Nosh, The Fatted Calf and Yellow Door have also been brought on board. This is the most significant development since Titanic Belfast took over operations of the vessel in April 2015, and is part of an overall £150,000 investment. Nomadic’s improved event offering will be managed and marketing by Titanic Belfast’s in-house team, who considerable experience in the meetings, incentive travel, conference and events industry, having hosted over 1,000 events at Titanic Belfast within the last four years.
Titanic Belfast Chief Executive, Tim Husbands MBE, said, “SS Nomadic, the last remaining White Star Line vessel and largest Titanic artefact in the world, is one of Belfast’s most authentic event venues, as well as one of its favourite tourist attractions. The investment in catering facilities on board takes SS Nomadic’s event capability to a new level and firmly illustrates that it is open for business and events. This combined, with the space on-board and period features, which transports guests back to SS Nomadic’s glamourous past, when she tendered famous Titanic passengers, as well as Elizabeth Taylor, Richard Burton and Charlie Chaplin, makes it the sought after venue for a whole array of events.” Kerrie Sweeney, Chief Executive, Titanic Foundation, commented, “investment in the new kitchen facilities will generate additional income, significantly contributing to ongoing maintenance and running costs of this 105 year old vessel. This underpins the sustainability of the ship for our future generations, ensuring SS Nomadic remains open to the public as one of Northern Ireland’s key heritage assets. This wouldn’t have been possible without the support of Heritage Lottery Fund and Tourism NI.”
John McGrillen from Tourism NI said, “We are proud to have supported the development of catering facilities on board SS Nomadic. Overlooking Belfast Lough with the iconic Titanic Belfast, the world’s largest Titanic visitor experience, the famous barrel-vaulted Harland & Wolff Drawing Offices and the landmark Samson and Goliath gantry cranes as a backdrop, SS Nomadic brings together Belfast’s strong industrial and maritime heritage, and provides a bespoke space for events.”